Occult Rituals

It’s a common belief that only those initiated in the rites and practices of arcane, divine, or psychic magic can cast spells, but this is not strictly true. Hidden within dusty libraries and amid the ramblings of lunatics lie the mysteries of another form of spellcasting—occult ritual magic. These spells are rare, coveted by both those eager to gain their power and those wishing to hide their existence. Most traditional spellcasters consider these rituals dangerous and uncontrollable, something to be avoided or used as a last resort. They fear the power these ceremonies grant to the uninitiated, as the rituals allow those with only a glimmering of understanding the ability to interact with the underlying fabric of magic.

While anyone can attempt to cast occult rituals, the process is fraught with peril. The strange and intricate incantations are often challenging to perform with precision, and failure can weaken the casters or even unleash horrors upon the world. Even when successfully performed, each occult ritual has a price—a backlash that affects at least the caster leading the ritual, and often those assisting in its performance.Click here for the full rules on Occult Rituals.

SourceOccult Realms pg. 56School evocation [chaotic, evil, good, or lawful; see text]; Level 5Casting Time 50 minutesComponents V, S, M (holy or unholy water), F (a holy symbol of the altar’s deity worth at least 300 gp), SC (up to 4)Skill Checks Knowledge (planes) DC 27, 2 successes; Knowledge (religion) DC 27, 3 successesRange touchTarget broken alterDuration instantaneousSaving Throw none; SR noBacklash The primary caster is exhausted.Failure For a period of 1 month, none of the casters can be targeted by divine magic that draws its power from the deity previously tied to the altar. (This is a curse effect, and can be removed with remove curse and similar effects.)

Effect

This ritual works only on inoperative divine altars, rendered powerless through damage or other ways, and must be performed on a holy day of the deity to which the altar is dedicated. In order to repair a broken altar, the primary caster and all secondary casters must be worshipers of that same deity. The exact process of revitalizing altars varies by religion, but such rituals require a dose of holy or unholy water when dealing with good- or evil-aligned deities, as well as a masterfully wrought holy symbol regardless of the deity’s alignment. By speaking numerous prayers and conducting the required religious ceremonies, the primary caster can restore the altar to its previous function, effectively restoring its capabilities as a magical item.

A reconsecrate altar ritual has the chaotic, evil, good, or lawful descriptors depending on the alignment of the altar’s deity. For instance, a reconsecrate altar ritual performed to restore the altar of a lawful good deity has the lawful and good descriptors. A ritual tied to a nonlawful, nonchaotic neutral deity has no descriptor.